Toussaint was listed as being in custody in the Williams County jail as of early Sunday, Sept. 1. He was booked on a warrant for murder, but formal charges were not available Sunday.

Police spent Saturday searching for Toussaint in relation to a death that happened late Friday, Aug. 30. Officers were called to the Days Inn and Suites in the 1500 block of Ninth Avenue NW just before 10:30 p.m. Friday for a report of a fight. As a result of the fight, Pineda was shot and died a short time later.

Few details were available from police on the slaying, apart from the fact it appeared to be sparked by an argument. Williston Trending Topics News Radio Live reported Sunday morning that Toussaint confronted a man outside the Days Inn on Friday evening and when that man walked away, the man’s stepfather tried to step in between the pair. Toussaint shot the stepfather, witnesses told the media outlet.

The death is the fifth homicide so far in 2019.

In early April, Samuel Hamilton was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide after a crash that killed a 16-year-old Williston High School student. Later that month, the parents of a 1-month-old baby, Tank and Hannah McMillin, were charged with child abuse after the child died. Hannah McMillin’s charge was later upgraded to murder.

Less than two weeks later, 57-year-old Jay LePage died following an altercation outside The Shop Bar in downtown Williston. Justin Crites was arrested about a month later and charged with manslaughter.

In late July, police arrested Steven Rademacher and accused him of running down a neighbor with whom he’d argued. He was charged with murder.

Toussaint has faced two criminal charges so far this year. On July 3, he got a criminal citation accusing him of hunting or fishing without a license. A bench warrant was issued July 19 accusing him of failing to appear for his initial appearance.

According to court records, Toussaint was arrested Friday, Aug. 30 on that warrant. He was also charged with escape or resisting arrest, a class B misdemeanor. He was released on a $500 personal recognizance bond on the original charge.

Toussaint was arrested on the new charge late Saturday night or early Sunday morning.

Regional

featured

Local artist to showcase "A Year in Williston" at James Memorial Art Center.

By Mitch Melberg
mmelberg@willistonherald.com

09.02.19

Rachel Venture • Special to the Herald

Artist Mack Schroer stands before “Creon’s Tympanum,” a set
piece he created for the Entertainment Inc! production of Antigone.
Schroer will have a gallery of work on display at the James
Memorial art center throughout September.

Rachel Venture • Special to the Herald

Artist Mack Schroer works at his drawing table in Williston. A
variety of Schroer’s work will be on display at the James Memorial
Art Center until October.

Mitch Melberg • Williston Herald

Mack Schroer hangs “Venom,” featuring the Marvel Comics
character, at the James Memorial Art Center. Schroer’s work is
showing in both galleries at the James in September.

If you’ve wandered around Williston’s downtown area, you’ve probably seen some distinctive artwork adorning a few of the shop windows and displays, maybe a uniquely colored piano resting near the theater, or perhaps an event poster or flyer hanging in a window or tacked to a board in a shop. Regardless of where you’ve been, chances are you’ve seen the work of Mack Schroer, a creator who doesn’t see art as work, but as a lifestyle.

Schroer, who said he grew up on a steady stream of “The Simpsons and comics,” came to Williston from Kansas to work as a truck driver, but has spent the last year working as a freelance artist, creating unique pieces for individuals, businesses and organizations all around the area. Portraits, architecture, caricatures, still lifes, set design, comic books and animation...it seems there isn’t a medium that Schroer can’t tackle. Now the artist is showcasing his time in the area with a retrospective at the James Memorial Art Center.

Entitled “A Year In Williston,” Schroer’s exhibition at the James shows a variable smorgasbord of his work, from the eight-foot tall set panels he created for Entertainment Inc! productions of A Christmas Story, Antigone and Mamma Mia, to the smaller Pop Cars collection, a series of pop culture illustrations Schroer did utilizing the log book he used during his time driving truck. The show is multi-faceted, as Schroer described, and shows the remarkable range he has as a multi-media creator.

“It really is an all-encompassing year retrospective of my time here in Williston,” Schroer told the Williston Herald. “Ideally, the hope is to become a successful working artist. So I hope that people come away with the idea that an artist within the local community can be a benefactor to local business by improving design, marketing and aesthetic, while earning a decent income.”

Schroer has created one-of-a-kind pieces for display at Castle Framing, Books on Broadway and Cooks on Main, just to name a few, as well as creating event posters and ad campaigns and animation for Entertainment Inc!, Red Rock Ford and Choice Recovery. His artwork will also be proposed by the James Memorial’s board of directors at the upcoming North Dakota Art Gallery Association convention in Dickinson, where if chosen it will tour various galleries throughout the state.

“A Year in Williston” will be on display at the James throughout the month of September. The James is hosting an artist reception for Schroer on Friday, Sep. 6 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Schroer will be on hand to discuss his work and speak to attendees about his inspiration and process. The gallery is open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Sunday. The James Memorial Art Center is located at 621 First Avenue West.

Regional

Library card gets you more than you thought at Williston Community Library

By Mitch Melberg
mmelberg@willistonherald.com

09.02.19

September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month, but many people don’t realize just what benefits come with a card to their local library.

The Williston Herald spoke with Andrea Placher, director of the Williston Community Library, to find out all the things one can do with their library card. While the library certainly has a universe worth of reading within its walls, gone are the days when your library card was simply used for checking out books. And the best part is, all the library has to offer is available to the public free of charge.

“It’s important for you to have a library card because there are so many things you can do with it other than reading books,” Placher said. “Not that reading books isn’t the coolest thing ever, because it is; but there’s just so many things that people can do that are fun, they’re entertaining, and most importantly, they cost zero dollars.”

So what are some of those benefits? Here is a rundown of what you can take advantage of with your library card.

1) Learn a new language with the Mango Languages app

Mango languages offers over 70 foreign language classes, as well as 23 English language learning classes for those with English as a second language. Placher said the app makes it easy to learn at your own pace, making learning a new language simple and cost effective.

2) Download THOUSANDS of audiobooks and eBooks with the Overdrive app

The Williston Community Library participates in the North Dakota Overdrive consortium which allows them to offer the use of Overdrive and Libby by Overdrive. Placher said this creates a “free digital library” for the user, and materials are automatically returned so there is no need to worry about returning them late.

3) Take over 35 personal development classes online using Universal Class

Universal Class can be used to continue one’s education online with a variety of different courses. In total Universal Class offers over 500 different classes including business, career training, computer training, do it yourself, homeschooling, self-help and more.

4) Download over 100 magazines with the RBditgital app

RBdigital is the place to download eBooks, audiobooks, comic books and magazines. the loibrary’s current magazine collection includes titles like Country Living, Eating Well, Esquire, GQ, HGTV, Living the Country Life, Newsweek, Rolling Stone and US Weekly, among others. The best part, Placher said, is once a magazine is downloaded, it is yours to keep forever.

5) Get into a North Dakota State Park

A North Dakota Park Pass provides daily vehicle access to any North Dakota State Park. You can check out one per family for one week from the library.

6) Plan a family movie night

The library’s DVD collection currently consists of over 1,200 titles, which cardholders can check out three per card and keep them for one week.

7) Plan a family game night

Earlier this year, the library began circulating various board games. Currently the collection consists of 42 games for kids, families, teens and adults. Cardholders can check out one per card for one week.

8) Listen to a book while jogging in the park without a phone using a Playaway

Playaways do not need a separate player. Instead, the devices come pre-loaded with an audiobook and are ready to use. The library’s collection contains 27 young adult and fiction titles, as well as 95 juvenile titles. All one need’s is a pair of headphones. Patrons can check out one per card and keep them for three weeks.

As an added incentive, those who sign up for a new card or renew an existing card will receive a special swag bag containing some cool library related items, as well as a coffee cup courtesy of the Williston Community Library Foundation. And for those who already have a card, Placher said they won’t be left out. Simply come to the library and check something out, and they’ll receive a swag bag too. The Library is located at 1302 Davidson Drive.

Farm_and_ranch

featured

Wet weather hampering harvest, causing quality concerns

By Renée Jean
rjean@willistonherald.com

09.02.19

Renée Jean • Williston Herald

Sunflowers are looking good according to this week’s crop
progress report.

Wet weather is raising quality concerns for wheat and pulse crops in scattered areas of the region, depending on how mature the crop was at the time, and how much rain fell.

The harvest of hard red spring wheat did accelerate somewhat for the week of Aug. 18 to Aug. 25, according to the latest figures from the USDA’s weekly crop progress report, but weekend rain slowed some producers down.

Thirty-eight percent of the nation’s crop has so far been harvested, well behind the average pace of 65 percent. By comparison, North Dakota and Montana have reached 34 percent for their harvest. The latter state had its slowest progress yet, with just 14 percent more harvested.

Weather forecasts, meanwhile, are predicting colder temperatures will move in for Labor Day, along with the potential for more thunderstorms, likely developing in the afternoon. That could lead to more delays and quality issues for some, depending on how much rain falls on crops not yet harvested.

Crop ratings for spring wheat fell slightly from last week, to 69 percent good to excellent in North Dakota. Montana, meanwhile, fell to 67 percent at that grade.

The durum harvest also continues to be well behind schedule, due to slow maturity and less than ideal harvest weather.

North Dakota’s durum harvest is 24 percent — up 7 percent from last week — but behind last year’s 49 percent. In Montana, just 20 percent has been harvested, behind the five-year average of 47 percent.

Crop condition is 62 percent good to excellent in North Dakota and 71 percent in Montana. That’s a slight downgrade for both states from last week. North Dakota’s fell the most, by 10 percent, while Montana’s fell 8 percent.

North Dakota’s winter wheat harvest is 77 percent complete, approaching but still behind the five-year average of 83 percent at this time. Montana’s is 80 percent, also nearing the five-year average of 95 percent.

North Dakota soybeans are rated 62 percent good to excellent. Beans setting pods are 89 percent, approaching the five-year average of 96 percent, while dropping leaves is 3 percent, well behind the 14 percent average.

Corn in North Dakota is 73 percent good to excellent. Corn silking is about average at 98 percent. Dough, however, is 47 percent, well behind the 75 percent average. Dented is 5 percent, also well behind the 25 percent average. Montana has harvested 1 percent of its corn for silage. Just behind the average 3 percent.

North Dakota Canola is rated 64 percent good to excellent. Harvest is at 11 percent, well behind the 34 percent average. In Montana, canola harvested is at 15 percent, behind the five-year average of 55 percent.

North Dakota barley is 76 percent good to average, with 46 percent harvested — well behind the 75 percent average. In Montana, barley is 51 percent harvested, behind last year’s 65 percent.

North Dakota dry edible peas are 77 percent good to excellent, with harvest at 75 percent. That’s approaching the 5-year average of 80 percent. In Montana, the harvest is at 74 percent, behind the five-year average of 89 percent.

Dry edible beans in North Dakota, meanwhile, are 51 percent good to excellent. Setting pods is at 98 percent. Dropping leaves is at 39 percent, approaching the five-year 47 percent average. In Montana, 21 percent have been harvested, well behind the five-year average 57 percent.

The North Dakota and Montana lentil harvests are well behind schedule thanks in part to wet conditions. In North Dakota, harvest is at 16 percent compared to last year’s 45 percent. In Montana, harvest is 55 percent, behind last year’s 74 percent.

Sunflowers look good in North Dakota, with 81 percent rated good to excellent. Blooming is at 94 percent. Rayflowers dried is at 19 percent, which is behind the five-year average of 40 percent. Bracts turned yellow is 1 percent, behind 30 percent at this time last year.

North Dakota flaxseed is 74 percent good to excellent. Harvest is at 6 percent, behind the five-year average of 27 percent.

Montana safflower is 90 percent in bloom, with 47 percent turning color. The latter is behind the five-year average of 56 percent.

Public_safety

Sunday motorcycle crashes injures 1, kills 1

09.01.19

A pair of unrelated motorcycle crashes Sunday afternoon in McKenzie County injured a 23-year-old Williston man and killed a 19-year-old Lisbon woman.

In the first crash happened around 4:18 p.m. near Beaver Creek Road in rural McKenzie County, about 17 miles east of Trotters, according to the North Dakota Highway Patrol. Cora Wagner, 19, of Lisbon, was riding south on an off-road trail when she lost control and was thrown from the bike,

Wagner was pronounced dead on the scene, the Highway Patrol said in a news release.

The second crash happened around 5:53 p.m. near the intersection of County Road 16 and 38th Street NW, 10 miles northwest of Alexander. Jacob Hingtgen, 23, was heading northeast on County Road 16 and lost control of his motorcycle while taking a curve.

Hingtgen was thrown from the bike. He was taken to CHI St. Alexius in Williston for non-life-threatening injuries, according to a Highway Patrol news release.